Deputy to the Norwegian Prime Minister

1985 - 2000

Article |Last updated: 2011-04-12

The system of an appointed deputy to the prime minister has been in use in two governments where the prime minister has wanted to give the leader of the second largest government party a clear rank as number two. It was the case during the last months of Kåre Willoch's Government and in Kjell Magne Bondevik's First Government.

The system broke with the tradition since 1905 that the foreign minister has ranked second to the prime minister.

There are also later cases of other ministers ranking second to the prime minister, but not as appointed deputy.